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Friday, March 6, 2015

Favorite Pouch Tutorials

I’ve been having fun making a variety of zipper pouches lately and I thought I would share with you a few of my most favorite zipper pouch tutorials!

First of all, I have to talk about the one common element in all zipper pouch tutorials – the zipper! In almost all tutorials I’ve used, it is okay to use a zipper that is longer than needed. At some point in the tutorial the zipper is trimmed down anyway – so if the pattern calls for a 8” zipper and all you have is a 12” zipper then use it!

I like to keep a variety of zippers on hand. My favorite source for zippers is an etsy shop called “Zipit”. They have such a fantastic variety, the prices are great and the shipping is fast. It’s my go-to shop for zippers. And with such pretty colors, it’s actually FUN to shop for zippers! I must warn you though, it’s hard to choose just a few!

The second thing I’d like to mention is what kind of interfacing I use. In the past I’ve used a variety of interfacings and I really didn’t love any of them. Well I now have a new favorite. I now use Heat n Bond Craft Extra Firm fusible interfacing (or Pellon 809 is the equivalent). I love that it gives so much structure, and helps the zipper pouch stand up on it’s own- even in the larger size pouches. I have to thank Emily (Simple Girl Simple Life) and Marion (My Quilt Diet) for encouraging me to try a stiffer interfacing in my zipper bags – I’m converted!

Alright – now to show you my favorite tutorials!

These two pouches were made using a tutorial from Jedi Craft Girl called the “Favorite Zipper Pouch.” The tutorial is easy to follow with plenty of photos. I made one of these pouches for a swap and I loved it so much I made a twin sister pouch to keep.

I love the Open Wide Pouch just because it does exactly that – opens wide! So even in the smaller size you can fit a lot in it because you can pull that zipper all the way open. And it’s easier to see those smaller items that float to the bottom.

And to show you the scale, here is the medium sized “Open Wide Pouch” next to the “Favorite Zipper Pouch” with a bottle of my favorite lotion (yum!) You can see here that the medium sized pouch is a pretty generous “medium.” It would be perfect for your larger sewing notions (cones of thread, bottles of Flatter or Best Press, machine oil, rotary cutter, etc.) Or a pound of M&Ms and a bag of Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups. Because you know, snacks.

These are all the larger size dumpling – which still is quite small. I use one of my dumpling pouches to carry cotton balls, q-tips and make up sponges when we travel. A dumpling pouch would also be a cute way to carry those Clover Wonder Clips that we all love.

Don’t be afraid of the curves in this pouch. They’re not bad! If you read my first post, you can see how I used my Clover Wonder Clips to hold the zipper in place as I sewed it.

I also just order a new batch of zippers so I see many, many more zipper pouches in my future! Do you have a favorite pouch tutorial? I know there are so many that I still haven’t tried! What's your favorite??

Thanks so much for sharing the information about interfacing.I find that I shy away from sewing bags and purses because I'm never sure which interfacing to use so I appreciate your input so much. The only pouch I've made is found at this quilting blog - Pretty Modern, August 24, 2009. It's a cute style and I think you would enjoy making it.

Can you give me the measurements on making this grey quilted bag? I love the stripes down the center. I'm wanting to make it like this and embroider oils on one stripe and then add elastic inside for essential oil bottles?